


Regrets of a Tyrant

by Awkwardtwt, RumourOfCake



Series: Bibliothecary [7]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Library, Bibliothecary, Gen, Guilt, Immortality, Implied Reincarnation, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Libraries, Regret, Wordcount: 500-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:40:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29375796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awkwardtwt/pseuds/Awkwardtwt, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RumourOfCake/pseuds/RumourOfCake
Summary: Karl hears the sniffles as he turns the corner while reshelving returned books. He didn't expect for it to be Dream.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Karl Jacobs, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Bibliothecary [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2127405
Comments: 7
Kudos: 35





	Regrets of a Tyrant

**Author's Note:**

> hiii this is really bad because i didn't know how to end it. i'm not good at all with comforting people so i reccomend not taking the advice that karl's spouting
> 
> you might definitely want to read "Nice to meet you Tommy, I'm Dream!" before this.
> 
> also! this contains sorta heavy themes as said in the tags like soul crushing guilt and discussion about if Dream deserves forgiveness or not! just a warning since it's kinda deep uh

Humming as he strolled past all the bookshelves of the library, Karl cheerfully put back all the returned books in his pile back on the shelf one by one. He loved his job in the library and it was always a pleasure to see how the guests loved his stories after they read them. However, as Karl finally shelved away “Dawn of 16th” back into the picture book section, he heard the soft cry of someone who he immediately recognised as Dream.

He hid behind the closest bookshelf, watching Dream as he wiped away his tears from his book which laid open on his lap. Karl ducked further back behind his cover as Dream opened his mouth, making him wonder if he had been found out. 

“I heard there was a special place, where men could go and emancipate.”

‘The L’Manburg anthem?’ Karl recognised immediately.

“W-well this place was real,” Dream choked out, close to tears as he sang the altered lyrics. “and now it's gone-” 

“Techno and Dream planted a **bomb**.” He continued, fist clenching around the book’s cover as he remembered his actions during Doomsday.

“It's a very big and definitely blown-up L'Manburg-”

Karl frowned as Dream abruptly stopped singing, peeking further around the corner to get a closer look at Dream only to find the masked man facing right towards him. Dream raised an eyebrow, speechless as Karl helplessly tried to cover his face with his hands despite being in full sight beside the bookshelf. 

“What do you want.” Dream demanded, rubbing the sides of his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie in an attempt to cover up the fact that he was crying.

Karl sighed in defeat and finally made eye contact with Dream, noticing a growing redness in Dream’s eyes from his continuous rubbing. He stepped forward cautiously, waiting for Dream to say anything. In response, the teenager looked away in disinterest; he knew Karl probably wouldn’t have left anyways. 

He slowly bent down to reach the floor next to Dream, voicing a small “oof” as he sat down next to his friend.

They both sat in comfortable silence, Karl reaching out to grab Dream’s hand a few minutes later. The latter raised an eyebrow in confusion, questioning the gesture.

Karl only smiled at him, whispering a soft: “It’ll be okay, I’ll always be here.” before looking straight forward again.

Before Dream knew it, tears welled at his eyes as he processed the line. He feebly wiped his tears with his free arm’s sleeve, desperately clutching onto Karl’s hand with the other. He started to wail, the loud and choked sobs filling the empty library space.

His friend continued to look ahead as Dream cried, letting him squeeze his hand as a sign that he was still there and as comfort.

“I hurt them!” Dream admitted, clinging onto Karl like a lifeline. “I’m the reason that half these stories have a bad ending!”

The librarian could only listen helplessly, knowing that Dream was right and not knowing what to say. He glanced to his side, spotting the distinct red and white cover of “Theseus” on Dream’s lap.

Oh… 

**Tommy.**

“Dream, that was an eon ago.” Karl muttered, although in neither pity nor support. “You’ve learnt since then, haven’t you?” He asked.

Pulling down his mask, Dream rubbed his eyes as he ignored Karl. They both knew what Karl was talking about. Despite that, Dream didn’t want to acknowledge it. 

George and Sapnap’s deaths had been the turning point.

Grimacing a little, Karl continued. “What I mean is… You can’t change the past, I’m not supposed to do that anymore. You’re going to have to live with what you did to them, that was you.”

Dream stayed silent, frowning intensely. Karl took that as permission to continue. “However, like the characters in all these stories, you also experience character development. If you hate the person that you used to be then that means that you’ve grown, haven’t you?”

Rubbing the corner of his eyes again, Dream thought through Karl’s words. “But… can you really just forgive me?” He asked.

“No.” Karl answered bluntly. “I honestly can’t. The Dream back then hurt a lot of people."

Dream opened his mouth to respond, almost in shock at Karl’s honesty. Karl shook his head and gestured for Dream to be quiet, continuing with his explanation. “But this isn’t about forgiveness.”

“It’s about atonement.”

“...I-”

For hours after that, Dream pondered about Karl’s advice. The latter happily stayed by his side, both of them sitting in a comfortable silence on the library floor. 

Eventually, the quiet atmosphere became devoid of occasional sniffles and a soft sound of snoring filled it. Karl laughed quietly to himself as Dream leaned onto his shoulder, slowly nudging his head off and standing up from their place on the floor. He shook his cardigan off of his shoulders, draping it carefully around Dream’s sleeping figure. 

He took the book from Dream’s lap and slotted “Theseus” back on the shelf as made his way to the library stairs, making sure not to wake Dream up. Passing Sapnap and George as they descended the same stairs, Karl soon disappeared into his room on the second floor.

Then soon after that, the two friends found Dream snoozing soundly on the floor. Unbeknownst to them of what had just transpired a few hours before, they both sat down on either side of Dream and made themselves at home. 

Tommy would soon rush by and trip over all three of them later in the evening.

**Author's Note:**

> reminder that canon smp!dream doesn't regret any of his actions at all and is actively trying to manipulate smp!ranboo into going into the enderwalk state and presumably breaking him out of the prison so don't associate bibliothecary!dream with him!!! Bibliothecary!Dream actually has a guilty conscience /hj


End file.
